An Unexpected Companion
I coughed violently, spraying water everywhere after hearing a name I never expected from my grandson. Dokgo Rin, who was beside me, rubbed my back with a worried expression.
"Y-yeah… I just swallowed the wrong way."
Once my coughing finally subsided, I wiped the tears from my eyes and stared at Jegal Geondam, Jegal Gyun's grandson, who was still chatting with Dokgo Seok right in front of me.
Wait, how can someone's name be…
Obviously it wasn't named with that meaning in mind, but with my modern knowledge, it only sounded like the name of a very famous robot.
"Now that we've finished the introductions, let's get to the real meal."
When Dokgo Seok said that and looked at Jegal Gyun, who was seated at the head of the table, with an eager expression, Jegal Gyun cleared his throat awkwardly, as if he had something to feel guilty about, and picked up his chopsticks.
It was a welcome sound to our ears, so we all followed his lead, picking up our chopsticks and finally beginning the breakfast we'd been waiting for.
Slurp!
"Now that I think about it, sir, you mentioned you're also heading to Chang'an to attend the Murim Alliance Leader's sixtieth birthday banquet, right?"
After the meal, while we were all drinking tea together, Dokgo Seok asked that question.
"That's correct."
"Then how about traveling with us?"
Jegal Gyun raised one eyebrow, as if he'd heard an interesting story.
"Oh? Would that really be alright? We're planning to leave first thing tomorrow."
"We only stopped in Hanzhong to resupply our travel goods, so we weren't planning to stay long anyway. And hurrying the schedule a bit won't get anyone arrested."
"Haha, that's true enough."
Once the conversation naturally settled on traveling together with the grandfather-grandson pair from the Jegal Clan, Dokgo Rin bit her lip slightly, clearly displeased. But it was such a tiny gesture that no one at the table noticed her discomfort except for me.
"By the way, Lady Dokgo."
When Jegal Gyun suddenly addressed her, Dokgo Rin replied in a dry voice.
"Yes?"
"What do you think of my grandson?"
"…Pardon?"
Dokgo Rin looked at Jegal Gyun with a startled expression, caught off guard by the sudden direct question. At that moment, Dokgo Seok quickly jumped into the conversation.
"Elder, from what I can see, there's quite an age difference between the two. Isn't that joke a bit much?"
Jegal Gyun burst into hearty laughter and pointed at his grandson.
"This fellow looks older than he is, but he's only sixteen."
"What? Sixteen?"
Dokgo Seok stared at Jegal Geondam with a dumbfounded expression, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Then Jegal Geondam lowered his gaze slightly and spoke.
After receiving that final confirmation shot, even the usually playful and unflappable Dokgo Seok couldn't help but look completely flustered. At that moment, Dokgo Rin, who had been silent, opened her mouth.
"I'm sorry, Elder, but I already have someone I care for, so I'm afraid that's not possible."
"Hmm, you already have a sweetheart at such a young age?"
"Yes. He's right here."
As she said that, the person Dokgo Rin pointed to was me, sitting beside her and eating sweets.
"Huh?"
Both Jegal Gyun and Jegal Geondam immediately turned their gazes toward me. Suddenly becoming the center of attention, I could only stammer in confusion.
Soon after, Jegal Gyun let out a loud Puhaha! and slapped his palm with his fan, speaking in a delighted tone.
"I never imagined there would be someone right beside her with whom she'd already promised her future! Even I couldn't have predicted that!"
"Isn't it only natural to keep the person you like close by, so you can see them whenever you want?"
"Haha! The young lady is absolutely right! Absolutely!"
Despite Dokgo Rin's bold statement, Jegal Gyun simply roared with laughter as if he'd heard something very entertaining. After wiping away his tears, he immediately turned to his grandson beside him and apologized.
"I'm sorry, Dam-ah. This old man meddled unnecessarily and ended up embarrassing you for no reason."
"It's alright, Grandfather. You already know very well that I don't have much popularity with women anyway."
"That is true."
"Besides, I want to find the woman I'll love for the rest of my life with my own hands."
Though their conversation lacked the formality one might expect between grandfather and grandson, it somehow made them seem even closer.
"Anyway, with that settled, I'll take my leave now."
Apparently no longer wanting to continue the conversation with Jegal Gyun, Dokgo Rin chose to retreat first—an unusual move for her. Thanks to that, I had no chance to make any excuses before quickly bowing to Jegal Gyun and the others, then hurrying after Dokgo Rin as she headed up to our room.
The moment she saw the old man's face sitting at the inn table, Dokgo Rin couldn't help but recall his name, no matter how much she hated it. It was only natural. In her previous life, when she had become a public enemy of the Murim world due to Wiji Cheon's schemes and was relentlessly pursued by the Murim Alliance, the one who had designed the inescapable net that left her with no way out was none other than this man—the strategist of the Murim Alliance, Jegal Gyun.
Why is that old bastard traveling with Dokgo Seok?
Memories of the past that were now growing faint. But if her memory served her correctly, her first meeting with Jegal Gyun was originally supposed to happen much later in the future, not now. In other words, the situation before and after her regression had changed.
If she had to pinpoint the cause, It's probably because of me.
That was the only reason that immediately came to mind. Otherwise, something that shouldn't have happened would never have occurred.
The silver lining, at least, was that this probably wouldn't have a major impact on the history she knew. To the current Jegal Gyun, the girl named Dokgo Rin wasn't a public enemy who must be captured, but merely the daughter of the Absolute Sword Dokgo Jin, one of the Three Absolutes of the World like himself.
Still, no matter how much of a prominent figure of the righteous path he was, she couldn't help feeling instinctively uncomfortable around him. After all, Jegal Gyun was the one who, on Wiji Cheon's orders, had once driven her to the brink of death. Having actually lost her life because of his meticulous schemes, it was only natural that she would feel averse to him.
Not only that, but beside Jegal Gyun was his grandson, Jegal Geondam. In the future, Jegal Geondam would catch the eye of the Fist King Son Yuseong and become his successor, making him one of the people she needed to be especially wary of.
This is annoying.
In her heart, she didn't want to exchange even a single word with them, but unfortunately, the one holding all the authority as the representative of the group on this journey wasn't her, but Dokgo Seok. Because of that, even if she didn't want to travel with them, it seemed they would have no choice but to move together until they reached their destination in Chang'an.
The next day.
After buying all the necessary travel supplies early in the morning by going around the market, we left Hanzhong together with the Jegal Clan's grandfather-grandson duo, just as we'd promised the day before. There was really no need to force ourselves to travel with them, but Dokgo Seok wanted the protection of Jegal Gyun, the strategist of the Murim Alliance, to avoid the same kind of trouble as before. And from Jegal Gyun's perspective, there was no better traveling companion than Dokgo Seok, so he gladly accepted the offer to join them.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.
The road to Chang'an. As we drew closer to the former capital, it became clear that the roads were far better maintained compared to other regions. It made sense—Chang'an was once the place where the wealth of the entire nation gathered, so there had been a strong need to keep the roads in good condition.
After riding for about half a day, we stopped for a short rest to let the horses recover as well.
"Chilbok, I need to cook, so could you fetch some water from nearby?"
"Yes, Sister."
Gyeong-a rolled up her sleeves and began preparing to cook for our late lunch. Since she was the only one in the group who could actually cook, everyone—including me—had no choice but to obey her commands without question. We'd learned from experience that if we upset her during moments like this, the food would immediately become incredibly bland.
I grabbed several leather water pouches and headed toward the nearby stream to draw water. Dokgo Rin, apparently bored of being alone, followed behind me with her hands clasped behind her back and asked in a slightly pouty tone.
"Chilbok, what are you planning to do after we eat?"
"I'll just rest, of course?"
If you didn't rest when you could, you wouldn't be able to keep up with this forced march, which was harsh enough to exhaust even a grown adult, let alone a child. On the first day of our journey, I'd been so sick the next day that I spent the entire time lying down.
But the moment she asked about my schedule, it was clear she already had something in mind. After a brief pause, she continued.
"Then, after we eat… could you spare me a little time?"
"That's fine, but what for?"
Dokgo Rin crossed her arms with a confident look and answered.
"Obviously, it's for martial arts training."
Since I've already prepared everything you need, it's about time you started learning properly, isn't it?